Smyrna times., 1887-09-07
BEATTIES APPARITION.

The city was creeping up that way;
there was no manner of doubt about that.
Indeed, why should one say it was creep
ing up? 1t had crept up already. To be
sure, there were lone blocks here and
there as yet, defined solely by line of
curbstones, intersected at right angles by
unpaved roads that, after rains, turned
into canals of Oozing mud, and bestrewed
over their quadrangular expanse with
elected tomato cans, old shoes and such
rubbish generally as habituaEy tenants
those waste suburban spaces given over to
to the frolcsome goat-blOcks, in short,
which a belaIed wayfarer in the vicinity Of
the park would be apt to pass through at
a more or less rapid pace after 10 o'clock
at night
But other blocks again were always
with gaps and hiatuses of empty lots be.
tween, what one might call built up. A
Semi-rural mode of life obtained with the
inhabitants, some of whom kept q few
chickens in their yards. Many of these
houses were divided into flats. and the sep
arate dwellings brought low rents, as yet
1t was refuge within city limits for busi-
ness men who had failed honorably, not
being quite abreast of the progressive
spirit of the times, and for unambitious
young people beginning life-Of these there
were not many.
Now, a number of these houses-in
fact whole rows here and there in the vi
cinity-were owned by Timothy Pinck-
ney, and it has been said that they
brought comparatively low rents. Never
theless Timothy was well content. He
knew that the rents would increase by
and by. And he held on to his property
and dreamed dreams of the future when
1t would make him many times a million.
aire
This prospective millionaire, with now
more money in his Golfers than any one
knew, lived in a two-story white frame
house whose rear yard was contingent to
the rear Of some of those very houses
owned by him. No one ever saw the in.
side Of that two story frame dwelling for
the simple reason that Timothy had no
friends, relatives or acquaintance. He
had a daughter, to be sure-a Young.
plump and black eyed thing, with long.
demure lashes, who occasionally appeared
at the door when tinman came around
70 negotiate exchanges of old bottles and
rags. But Timothy evidently intended to
keep his Bertha's charms safely away
from the coyetOus eyes Of gallants. The
women of the neighborhOOd-fOr instance.
the undertaker's wife across the lot-were
quite aware that black eyed Bertha never
had new frOck from years end to years
end; no, NOR new bunnit, neither"
Wen, Timothy was pitiless and pitt
tul Old miser; there was no question of
that. And, seeing that he was progress
ing IN years, he ought to have commenced
TO realize, mark and repent of the evil
Inf g ., -
that his conscience had given him no IN
easiness Of any sort this long time past
Ills digestion was as satisfactory as that
OF an ostrich, and his thoughts were pleas
antly occupied with airy OF arduous com
putations, as the case might be. day in
and day out. When the stomach and the
brain are thus in good condition it is as
tonishing how little place there remains
Tor conscience in all the human mechan-
ism.
However, one hot night in June Tim
othy came home not feeling quite so well
as usual. The day had been sultry and
he had walked about great deal in the
busy marts Of commerce down town and
IN the sun. He had a headache and IL
made him cross. But after Bertha had
gotten him his supper, and he had no ap-
petite for it, these novel phenomena made
him pensive instead.
He went out in his back yard and sat
down on an overturned barrel and began
to breathe the evening air. It was heavy.
and compounded Of many local and in-
digenous OdOrs, not all Of them pleasant.
On one side there was a gap in the wooden
ralls OF the fence. That gap opened out
upon several empty corner lots, rocky in
places, and gave an uninterrupted view Of
w IN fTnr.N .N.T-1.
side Of that functionary's dwelling. di-
agonaIly across on the next street
Timothy could not see 1t this evening. II
was too dark. But he knew it was there.
and the knowledge somehow was uncom-
Portable.
A moro agreeable object of eontempla-
ton presented itself in the row Of build
ings before him, the row which represented
a portion Of his possessions But his
H-Al seemed determined to take new
course this evening. His thoughts, start
lng from the row of buildings, began TO
travel backward over the years gone bv,
and the first acquisitions which had
marked them. For the first time in
LOrdl how many years?--he Thought of
Beattie. Now, there was no denying that
the hrst OF his good luck had begun with
his acquaintance with Beattie Beattie
had given him a great deal Of good advice.
Yes, and he was very sorry that things
turned out just as they did with regard to
Beattie. Very sorry. But a man has got
to look out for himself. Timothy now re-
peated that assertion to himself. risinn in
rebellion against this suddenly resurrected
pang Of a guilty conscience; repeated it
with heat. Some people might say that
he had ruined Beattie-Beattie, who had
been his first frieDd-and left him to die
IN the pOorhOuse; but he, Timothy Pinck-
ney, would always stand mp and say that
man must look out for himself hrstl
Must look out for himself
In the excitement of these unexpected
retrospective memories, Timothy, who had
been sitting there in the pure night much
longer than he knew, raised up his hand
70 bring It down with emphasis on his
knee. 1t remained arrested in midair.
trembling seized it. The tremblinp com
munloaied itself to an bis body. "A cold
sweat beaded hisbrow. His heart left its
normal place and began 10 thump and
hutier horribly IA his thrOat. IN q mo-
ment more excess Of terror gave him a
frantic power of loc0motion. succoednq
upon fho FIRST interval oe paralysis. and he
burst headlong into the Kitchen. startling
Bertha into dropping D pan She held and
causing her to exclaim, as she beheld his
blnnched visage:
''Good land O. mercy, fathers What Is
the matterY'
''I'ye seen n ghost" he said.
Juno went and July came, and with II
days more snltry and nights more op-
presslvely favored with she OdoPs from
the bone factories across the river.
The plump and black eyed Bertha. poor
child, wonld doubtless hnve liked 10 par,
ticipnte in that social lifo which dis.
trlJuted itself over open thresholds and
upon friendly curbgtones these breafhlesa
nights. But no such innocent delights
wefe comprised IN Timothy Pinckney's
sy1ellof discipline Tie believed himself
in eafly hours, as being an economy iI
liglt. and six nights out Of the seven saw
him already IN his room and IN his bed
before the last lingering rays ~ the yerna